Release reflexes are primitive motor responses seen in infants but not adults that originate in the central nervous system. They are normally suppressed by the frontal lobe. The presence of release reflexes in adults may indicate diffuse central nervous system disease, damage to the frontal areas, or senescence. Common frontal release reflexes include the palmomental reflex, grasp reflex, glabellar tap reflex, and oral reflexes like sucking and rooting. When present, these primitive reflexes can provide clues about neurological abnormalities.

1. RELEASE REFLEXES:
Dr.Roopchand.PS
Senior Resident Academic
Department of Neurology
TDMC, Alappuzha

2. Release, primitive, foetal, developmental
or atavistic reflexes:
• Release reflexes group of behavioural motor
responses originating in the central nervous
system that are exhibited by normal infants but
not neurologically intact adults, in response to
particular stimuli.
• These reflexes are normally kept in check by
frontal lobe.
• May indicate a diffuse CNS disease when
present.
• Can be present normally during senescence.
• Many are exaggeration of normal responses

3. Adaptive value of reflexes:
• Many of these reflexes have got adaptive and
survival value during development of an infancy.
• Sucking and routing : helps in feeding.
• Grasp: helps in bonding.
• Almost all disappears as the child develops.
• Some may persist in adult as normal variant.
• An exaggerated response is seen in abnormal
neurology.

4. • Seen in
• Severe dementias
• Diffuse encephalopathy
• Head injury
• Stroke
• Cerebral palsy
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Particularly seen in disease/damage of frontal areas.
• Also called frontal release reflexes.

5. Common Frontal release Reflexes:
• Palmomental reflex
• Grasp reflex
• Palmar
• Plantar
• Glabellar tap reflex
• Pout and snout relex
• Routing reflex
• Head retraction
• Corneomandibular reflex
• Utilisation behaviour

6. The Palmomental Reflex of Marinesco-
Radovici:
• contraction of the mentalis and orbicularis oris muscles
causing wrinkling of the skin of the chin with slight
retraction and sometimes elevation of the angle of the
mouth in response to scratching or stroking the palm of
the ipsilateral hand.
• Method: stroking a blunt point over the thenar eminence
or by tapping this area.
• In disease state reflexogenic area can increase.
• Also called mentalis reflex
• Stronger and persistant reflex is seen in disease
conditions.

7. • Response can be present in ipsilateral or contralateral
lesions.
• Can be seen in normal people also.
• Helpful in facial palsy
• Absent in LMN type
• Exaggerated in UMN type.
• Pollicomental reflex : stroking skin over thumb
• The localizing value and clinical significance of these
reflexes are limited.

8. Palmar grasp reflex:
• Involuntary flexor response of the fingers and hand
following stimulation of the skin of the palmar surface of
the fingers or hand.
• The patient is instructed not to hold onto the examiner's
hand.
• Four variations and modifications:
• Simple grasp reflex.
• “Hooking” or traction response.
• Forced grasping reflex.
• Groping response.
• Normally seen at birth.
• Disappears by 2 to 4 mo.

9. • Seen in extensive frontal lobe lesions
• Neoplastic, vascular, degenerative.
• Also see in corticospinal tract lesions.
• When present unilaterally indicates lesion of contralateral
frontal or parietal lobe lesion.
• Plantar grasp: in disease of the opposite frontal lobe.
• elicited by drawing the handle of a reflex hammer from the midsole
toward the toes.
• toes flex and grip the hammer.

11. Glabellar tap:
• Tapping over outer aspect of supraorbital ridge, over
glabella or orbital margin.
• Tapping over forehead as far as hairline.
• B/L eye blinking
• Uninhibited in diseases like Parkinson's disease, frontal
lobe damage.
• Myerson’s sign.
• Glabella tap reflex is neither sensitive for the presence of
intracerebral pathology, nor specific for parkinsonism

12. PRIMITIVE ORAL REFLEXES:
• sucking, rooting, and snout reflexes.
• Snout reflex:
• pressing firmly backward on the philtrum of the upper lip, a minimal
tap to the lips, or sweeping a tongue blade briskly across the lips
• puckering and protrusion of the lips, primarily the lower, often with
depression of the lateral angles of the mouth
• Sucking, tasting, chewing, and swallowing movements may be
seen in exaggerated response.
• Sucking reflex:
• lightly touching, striking, or tapping the lips, stroking the tongue, or
stimulating the palate.
• sucking movements of the lips, tongue, and jaw.

13. • Routing reflex:
• A tactile stimulus delivered beside the mouth or on the cheek.
• Lips, mouth, and even head deviate toward the tactile stimulus.
• Atz, mastication, or “wolfing” reflex: exaggerated routing
reflex

14. CORNEOMANDIBULAR REFLEX:
• WARTENBERG’S REFLEX
• A horizontal movement of the mandible to the
contralateral side on touching the cornea of the ipsilateral
eye.
• The reflex is best elicited with some pressure to the
cornea, applied with a solid glass applicator.
• Present in acute coma (especially if due to a structural
lesion), cerebrovascular disease, multiple sclerosis,
Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

15. Head retraction Reflex:
• A sharp tap with the reflex hammer just below the nose
with the head bent slightly forward.
• Quick, involuntary backward jerk of the head.
• Present in bilateral corticospinal lesions rostral to the
cervical spine.
• Not present in normal.

16. UTILISATION BEHAVIOUR:
• Automatic, unquestioning behaviour
• When presented with utilitarian objects, were compelled
to grasp and use them.
• Two forms.
• Induced
• Incidental
• Careful observation of the patient’s behaviour (particularly
with respect to interaction with the external environment),
as well as attempts to elicit such responses.
• Seen lesions of inferior frontal and thalamic lesions.
• Etiology: stroke, neoplasm, frontotemporal dementia,
corticobasal degeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease.

17. NUCHOCEPHALIC REFLEX:
• It is elicited by rapidly turning the shoulders of a standing
patient to the right or left.
• Head holds its active original position.
• Seen in diffuse cerebral dysfunction.

18. Arm-dropping test:
• Patient is asked to completely relax.
• Suddenly release elevated arms of the patient.
• Failure to let the arm drop freely is seen in frontal lobe
diseases.
• Leg-dropping test:
• Paratonia (Gegenhalten):

19. References:
• DeJong's The Neurologic Examination, 6th Edition.
• DeMyer’s THE NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATION Sixth
Edition
• The grasp and other primitive reflexes, J M Schott, M
N Rossor J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
2003;74:558–560.